RIDE WITH AN IMPAIRED DRIVER, BUY A TICKET TO YOUR OWN FUNERAL
From Eureka Times-Standard
04/02/2015 — A Fortuna man has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter after two passengers were killed when he drove a car off Highway 101 Tuesday.
William Larry Morris, 57, was driving a silver Hyundai Accent southbound on Highway 101, south of State Route 299, when he drove off the road and hit a tree, California Highway Patrol public information officer Matt Harvey said.
Two women who were in the car with Morris did not survive the accident, Harvey said.
The right front passenger, Stacy M. Kejar, 55 of McKinleyville, was declared deceased at the scene and the woman in the back seat, Karen L. Brennan, 59 of Eureka, was declared deceased after being transported to the Mad River Hospital, according to a press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.
Neither women were wearing seat…MORE
Humboldt County Sheriff Michael T. Downey Calif.
Deceased Persons Identified
The Humboldt County Sheriff-Coroner reports that on March 31, 2015 at about 6:00 PM there was a single vehicle traffic accident on southbound Highway 101 near Highway 299. Two subjects in the vehicle received extensive injuries as a result of the accident.
One of the injured subjects was declared deceased at the scene. The other injured subject was transported to Mad River Hospital and declared deceased at the hospital.
The deceased persons have been identified as Stacy M. Kejar, age 55, of McKinleyville. The second subject has been identified as Karen L. Brennan, age 59, of Eureka.
The California Highway Patrol is the lead agency in this investigation. All further information regarding this incident will be released through their office.
Arcata Fire District and Humboldt Bay Fire personnel responded to a report of a vehicle that had been travelling southbound on U.S. 101 and veered off the freeway, down an embankment and collided with a tree. When emergency crews arrived on scene, they found three people trapped in the vehicle, including two in critical condition. One was pronounced dead at the scene, and another at a local hospital. The third person in the vehicle suffered minor injuries, according to an Arcata Fire District press release.
CHP Officer Michael Ball photo by CHP
The crash is under investigation by the California Highway Patrol, and details remain scant at this time. CHP spokesman Matthew Harvey was not immediately available for comment this morning.
The Humboldt County Coroner’s Office is still working to notify the families of the deceased, and won’t release their names publicly until it has done so.
The full press release from Arcata Fire, which includes details of another crash on State Route 299, is copied below.
Subject: Deceased Persons Identified Case: 201501451
On March 31, 2015 at about 6:00 PM there was a single vehicle traffic accident on southbound Highway 101 near Highway 299. Two subjects in the vehicle received extensive injuries as a result of the accident.
One of the injured subjects was declared deceased at the scene. The other injured subject was transported to Mad River Hospital and declared deceased at the hospital.
The deceased persons have been identified as Stacy M. Kejar, age 55, of McKinleyville. The second subject has been identified as Karen L. Brennan, age 59, of Eureka.
The California Highway Patrol is the lead agency in this investigation. All further information regarding this incident will be released through their office.
DUI COLLISION ON US-101 RESULTS IN TWO FATALITIES
The night of Tuesday, March 31, two occupants sustained fatal injuries out of a DUI collision on US-101, north of Arcata.
Just after 6 p.m., 57 year old William Larry Morris of Fortuna was driving a silver Hyundai Accent southbound on US-101, south of State Route 299, along with two adult female passengers. Due to Morris driving while under the combined influence of alcohol and drugs, he allowed the vehicle to drive off the west roadway edge where the vehicle collided directly into a tree. The female adult passenger who was seated in the right front seat sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The female adult passenger who was seated in the right rear seat was transported by ground ambulance to Mad River Community Hospital where she was pronounced deceased a short time later. Morris sustained minor injuries and was ultimately booked into the Humboldt County Jail facility on felony DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter charges. It was further discovered that Morris was driving on a suspended license. The two female occupants who sustained fatal injuries were not wearing their seatbelts at the time of the collision.
A few minutes prior to this collision, CHP Humboldt Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call of a reckless driver in a silver sedan on US-101 Southbound, south of McKinleyville. It is believed that this is the same vehicle that was involved in the traffic collision.
Agencies that responded to and assisted with this collision include the Humboldt County Coroner’s Office, Caltrans, Arcata Fire Protection District, Humboldt Bay Fire, City Ambulance of Eureka, and Mad River Community Hospital personnel.
This is the fifth fatal collision investigated by the CHP Humboldt Area office to date for the 2015 year that has resulted in a total of 7 fatal victims. 4 of these 7 victims are the result of DUI. The CHP reminds motorists to dial 9-1-1 immediately if you suspect a driver to be DUI.
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